Whether you are aiming to sell cars, cranes or cattle, there is a high chance that Asia is your fastest-growing market. So too for those providing passive investment products.

Exchange traded funds remain a small part of the Asian investment landscape, making up only about 6 per cent of regional assets, but the industry is expanding rapidly, both in terms of new products and capital invested. Total ETF assets in Asia grew 50 per cent last year to reach $142bn, according to Credit Suisse.

Since 2008, the number of ETFs listed on the Hong Kong exchange has risen fourfold, reaching 100 during 2012, and of the 15 top new funds launched globally in 2012, 10 were Asia-related, according to iShares, the ETF arm of BlackRock, the world’s largest fund manager.